Connecticut residents now have a state-backed option to keep tabs on whether they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced an official app for Apple and Android devices, called COVID Alert CT, that alerts its user if they have been near someone with COVID-19, all without sharing any personal information.

Once installed, the app uses Bluetooth to sense whether a user’s device has been within 6 feet of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more in one day – without sharing any personal information.

If a user has been near another person who has tested positive and is also using the app on their personal device, an alert will be triggered notifying the user that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. A notification will not be triggered if two devices in this scenario are just passing by for a short duration or stay more than 6 feet away from each other.

If a user tests positive:

• A contact tracer from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, their local health department, or their higher education institution will ask them if they are willing to share the “close contact” codes their app has logged while they may have been contagious.
• If the user agrees, a contract tracer will provide them with a verification code.
•  Once that code is submitted through the user’s app, those individuals who came within 6 feet of that user for more than 15 minutes and who also are using the app will receive a notification on their device that they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

State officials promise sharing this status is secure and private and say the app will never reveal who the user is to anyone else.

The app is intended to supplement the state’s contact tracing program, Lamont said.

“We’re making every effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut,”  Lamont said in a statement. “This app is another tool to make sure that every resident of our state has what they need to combat this pandemic from the ground up. This app also complements – but doesn’t replace – our broader contact tracing program, which is an invaluable resource in combating the pandemic and ensuring those who need it have the tools necessary to self-isolate or quarantine.”

For instructions on how to download the app and to read other information about its use, visit ct.gov/covidalertct.